Nuts (1987)

A high-class call girl accused of murder fights for the right to stand trial rather than be declared mentally incompetent.

Director:

Martin Ritt

Writers:

Tom Topor (play), Tom Topor (screenplay),

Stars:

Barbra Streisand, Richard Dreyfuss, Maureen Stapleton

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Barbra Streisand	...	Claudia Draper
Richard Dreyfuss	...	Aaron Levinsky
Maureen Stapleton	...	Rose Kirk
Karl Malden	...	Arthur Kirk
Eli Wallach	...	Dr. Herbert A. Morrison
Robert Webber	...	Francis MacMillan
James Whitmore	...	Judge Stanley Murdoch
Leslie Nielsen	...	Allen Green
William Prince	...	Clarence Middleton
Dakin Matthews	...	1st Judge
Paul Benjamin	...	Harry Harrison
Warren Manzi	...	Saul Kreiglitz
Elizabeth Hoffman	...	Dr. Johnson
Castulo Guerra	...	Dr. Arantes
Stacy Bergman	...	16 year-old Claudia

Storyline

A high-class call girl kills a customer in self-defense. To avoid scandal, her parents try to have her declared mentally incompetent. Not helping matters is that she is very distrustful of everybody, including her court-appointed attorney, and is very disruptive during her court hearings.

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Plot Keywords:

self defense | hearing | court | murder | attorney | 

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Taglines:

Mad As In Angry. Or Just Plain... NUTS

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 November 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Nuts ... Durchgedreht

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$8,152,529 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Barwood Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mark Rydell was the first director attached to this film, with Barbra Streisand interested in playing Claudia. However, Rydell cast the younger Debra Winger instead. Then Streisand came back after Winger pulled out. Then Rydell left the project, and Streisand hired Martin Ritt. Streisand says she was genuinely frightened of Leslie Nielsen, who managed to convince her he was dangerous. She says she wishes she had "fought back" more in their dramatic sequence together, but that he really did scare her.

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Quotes

Dr. Herbert A. Morrison: You need treatment in order to control yourself.
Claudia Draper: I'm in control, because right now I would like to ring your fucking neck! But I'm not going to.
Dr. Herbert A. Morrison: Good. That's a step in the right direction. I would like to help you put your life back in order.
Claudia Draper: Oh Herbie, there is no order in life. Maybe you need order. Maybe that's why you're here. Behind bars. Makes you feel safe doesn't it?
Dr. Hebert A. Morrison: Do you think this is productive?
Claudia Draper: I know you. You see I know you better than you know me. Because I've seen you with your ...

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Connections

Referenced in A Friend of Dorothy (1994)

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Soundtracks

"HERE WE ARE AT LAST"
Music by Barbra Streisand
Lyrics by Richard Baskin
Arranged & played by Randy Waldman
(Bar Music)

User Reviews

Who is trying to Hurt You?

After viewing this superior film, a viewer might wonder where in blazes the original idea came from; The Twilight Zone or ripped from todays headlines. This film is laden with so much talent I'm surprised it didn't establish itself as a mega movie. The premise is that of a talented lawyer, Aaron Levinsky, ably played by Richard Dreyfuss, who is forcibly thrust into a competency case which he does not want. His adversary is a formidably D.A, Francis MacMillan (Robert Webber) who has spent a considerable amount of time putting unwanted criminals and mental undesirables, behind bars. Thus he sees no reason why he should spend more time than necessary on a simple case of mental incompetency. Unfortunately for him the woman in question is spirited, independent Claudia Draper, (Barbra Streisand) who is desperate to have her day in court. Arrayed against her aside from the D.A. are her loving parents, Karl Malden as Arthur Kirk and Maureen Stapleton as Rose Kirk, who guard a terrible family secret. In addition, there is formidable Eli Wallach as Dr. Herbert A. Morrison, a psychiatrist who is convinced that Draper is insane. In Claudia's eyes, everyone seems hell bent on having her locked up in insane asylum. The courtroom drama is superior as Judge Stanley Murdoch, (James Whitmore ) tries to discover why the authorities want Draper incarcerated. A most convincing performance by all to create a memorable film. ****